


Dan and Phil are actually outside for an extended period of time cause pokemon

by A_mess_and_a_half



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009 Dan Howell, 2009 Phil Lester, I changed some of the laws of the pokemon universe, M/M, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon AU, Slow Burn, also Kalos has contests instead of the weird pagent things, and I don't know their formatting as well, anyways yeah these children need their education, because I don't like those as much, but there's growth, cause he wanted to be a responsible adult or whatever, dan and phil don't meet until like 6 chapters in but we'll get there eventually, phil went to uni tho, pokemon is a verb now, really this was all an excuse for me to share the pokemon teams i meticulously crafted for these two, so he will get those curls out for the lads sooner than 8 years later, what does freeform even mean idk, writing dan with straight hair hurts my soul, you have to finish highschool before you can go off and pokemon, you might be surprised by some of my decisions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-09-14 17:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16917561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_mess_and_a_half/pseuds/A_mess_and_a_half
Summary: When he was 18, Phil Lester decided not to go on a Pokemon journey. But now he's graduated university and he has no idea where his life is headed. So he decides to get a starter Pokemon and fly to the Kalos region to collect all eight badges and maybe figure out what to do with himself.Dan Howell just graduated from high school and is not hesitating to start his Pokemon journey. He just wants to escape the little town he grew up in and maybe actually become something worthwhile.Lets see what happens shall we?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It's 2019 and I've just now decided to write a Dan and Phil Pokemon fanfiction in the Kalos region. I have many regrets in life and hopefully this won't be one of them. Shout out to my betas who helped to make this readable. Y'all're great. Enjoy.

Phil Lester had run more in the past 5 minutes than the last 22 years of his life. And it showed, as he arrived at Professor Rowan’s lab sweaty and gasping for breath. The large and rather imposing building was in the middle of Sandgem Town, a fair distance away from Phil’s house. 

A research assistant glanced up from his clipboard and briefly inspected the flushed visitor, quirking a disinterested brow. “Kath’s kid?” he guessed, gazing at Phil through bleary eyes. Trying not to take offense at the researcher’s dismissive tone - as he clearly hadn’t slept properly in weeks - Phil replied with a cheerful “Yep” between puffs of air before finally managing to catch his breath. 

“I mean, yes, I am Kathryn’s son. My name’s Philip, uh, Philip Lester. But I just go by Phil though so you can call me that if you want.” He smiled, extending an arm in attempted greeting.The researcher regarded his friendly gesture with disdain and Phil dropped his hand, brushing it awkwardly against his pant leg. After a moment’s pause the man reluctantly replied “I’m Rob,” before gesturing vaguely at Phil and heading for the central laboratory. .

Phil trailed uncertainly behind Rob as he made his way confidently through the lab, struggling to take in the labyrinth of desks and machinery while still keeping up with the older man.

Finally, after enough twists and turns that Phil doubted he’d be able to find his way out of the building, they arrived at what seemed to be the central research area. “Rowan’s in there. He’ll talk to you,” Rob dismissed before turning on his heel and marching back down the hall.

Phil took a moment to reassess his life choices as he scanned the room. There were a lot of people. And Phil wasn’t 100% or even 50% sure about what exactly Professor Rowan looked like.

Timidly, Phil made his way further into the room, feeling wildly out of place among the haggard yet professional looking scientists. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his white hoodie trying to make himself as small as possible. Which wasn’t very small mind you, as even with his hunched posture, Phil stood at about 6’2.

“Philip!,” Phil startled, almost knocking some complex looking machine, earning himself unamused looks from several scientists. Luckily they were quickly distracted by the approach of a very stern looking bearded man in a lab coat. “Your mother told me you would be coming today,” he said, giving Phil a look that might have been reassuring were Phil not completely terrified of this man.

“My mother? Oh, oh you must be Professor Rowan. I’m so sorry I was just kinda brought here by this guy named Rob who I think needs to sleep more- and he just like left me here on my own and I didn’t know what to do and-“

He was cut off by a somewhat bemused chuckle from the professor, and he went silent, feeling even more self-conscious than before.

“Well, luckily you made it here in one piece. Please, follow me,” The professor beckoned Phil, who had to hurry to catch up to the professor’s confident stride.

“As you probably know already, normally when a child turns 18, they can choose to become a pokemon trainer. I provide these kids with their first pokemon,” Phil made a noise of confirmation. He had considered becoming a pokemon trainer when he first turned 18, but he had eventually decided to go to university instead. But now that graduation was finally over he wanted to at least give pokemon training a go.

“Now here in Sinnoh you have three choices,” Rowan came to a halt in front of a small metal canister containing three poke balls. “I presume that you know them but just in case you’re still making your final decision,” Rowan opened the canister, tapping the buttons on each of the pokéballs.

Phil was actually having a bit of trouble deciding which pokemon to pick. Chimchar was a great option of course but Phil had ruled him out before even getting to the lab. He wouldn’t be unhappy with a Chimchar but he just didn’t think that the fire line was the one for him. This left the other two.

On the one hand Piplup was adorable and Phil had always had a soft spot for water starters. But on the other hand Turtwig had a plant on its back, which was very appealing given Phil’s love of houseplants.

Ultimately he decided it would be best to meet the pokemon before making his final decision.

The three pokemon stared up at him, clearly anticipating his decision. Phil felt kinda bad picking between them; he never liked choosing favourites and this was literally all about choosing favourites. And what happened if he chose wrong? What if he regretted his decision later? This was the start of his journey and if he messed up now then what did that mean for the future of said journey? What if-

“Go with your gut son,” Phil snapped back to reality at Rowan’s words. His gut? He wasn’t good at that. But he supposed he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to get out of here within the next ten years. And honestly, if he were to go with his gut…  
“Piplup,” Phil tried to sound sure of himself, but he probably just came across as nervous and loud. That didn’t seem to matter to Piplup though, as the little penguin made an excited cheeping sound and jumped right at Phil’s chest.

Flailing a little bit, Phil was luckily able to catch Piplup before the poor bird hit the floor. Rowan laughed a little, and Phil couldn’t help but join in. Piplup certainly seemed like he would be an energetic companion. Phil only hoped that he would be able to keep up.

“Piplup seems like an excellent choice for you Philip,” Rowan encouraged, returning the other two starters to their respective pokeballs. Phil nodded in agreement.

“I think so as well. And I hope that the other two will be able to find good partners as well,” Phil glanced nervously at the two remaining pokeballs, still feeling bad about the pokemon he was leaving behind.

“Oh don’t you worry. They’ll find good homes. For now, however, we should get you and piplup on your way” Rowan turned to another desk and riffled through a few drawers before turning back to Phil with a handful of pokeballs and a pokedex.

“You might want to put Piplup down before I hand you anything else,” Rowan recommended, nodding towards the little penguin that Phil was still clutching to his chest. Phil deposited piplup back on the table and turned back to Rowan, almost running into his outstretched hand.

“In a rush are we?” Rowan said, keeping a firm grip on the pokedex he was holding out to Phil.

“No sir! I just didn’t want to keep you waiting,” Phil explained, feeling his cheeks reddening as he tried to explain himself.

“No need to panic son, it was just a joke,” Rowan assured as Phil took the blue pokedex.

“Oh right, sorry” Phil smiled awkwardly. Now he was in a bit of a rush to get out of here. Though that was due more to embarrassment about his apparent inability to take a joke than anything else.

“I hope you know how a pokedex works already?” Rowan asked as Phil inspected the machine in his hands.

“Yeah, I’ve read about them before. But I’ve never actually held one, so this is pretty exciting,” Phil explained before slipping it into his pocket. He would be able to check it out in more detail after Rowan was done with him.

“And of course you know how these work,” Rowan continued, handing Phil five pokeballs. Phil nodded, clipping them onto his belt so he could get at them easily if need be.

“This is Piplup’s pokeball, but you can keep him out of it of course.” Rowan handed Phil one final pokeball, this one full sized, as it had recently been used.

Phil glanced at Piplup “You wanna go back into your ball, or would you rather stay out with me for a while?” he asked. Piplup cheeped again, and while Phil didn’t exactly speak pokemon, he was pretty sure Piplup was indicating the fact that he would rather stay out for a little while. So Phil shrunk down his pokeball and put it alongside the others.

“Is that all?” Phil asked, picking up Piplup and turning back to Rowan. Rowan nodded.

“That should be it. Unless you wanted some information about where you should go next?” Phil shook his head.

“Actually I wasn’t going to stay in Sinnoh.” This made Rowan raise an eyebrow.

“Is that so? Well in that case, what region were you thinking of exploring instead?”

“I was planning on making my way over to Kalos actually,” Phil admitted, hugging piplup a little closer to his chest.

Phil’s parents had desperately wanted him to stay in Sinnoh. It was easier for them to visit each other if Phil was in the same region as them. But ultimately they had supported Phil’s decision. He had always stayed close to home, and if he was going to go on this grand journey or whatever it was supposed to be, he wanted to go all out.

Phil still wasn’t quite sure as to why he chose Kalos specifically. He had spent months going over his options and he couldn’t even narrow it down to three, but about a month ago he had decided that Kalos was the way to go, for no reason in particular other than it felt right. Maybe he was better at listening to his gut than he thought.

“Oh, I’m actually good friends with a professor there. Professor Sycamore is his name. It’s a fascinating region. Good choice Philip.”

“Thank you sir,” Phil’s grip on Piplup relaxed a little bit at Rowan’s approval. It was comforting to know that Rowan knew people from that region and still thought it was a good choice. Phil figured that was a good endorsement.

“Well then, you’d best be on your way. Remember to call your mother from time to time okay? We don’t want her to worry about you.”

“Oh I don’t think that’ll be a problem sir. If I didn’t call my mother on a regular basis I’m afraid she might skin me alive.” And even without the incentive of keeping his skin, Phil still wanted to keep in touch with his family. Especially his brother, who was moving to Kanto a few weeks after Phil was to arrive in Kalos. Martin had scored some kind of paid internship in Professor Oak’s lab, and Phil desperately wanted to know how it went.

“I’ll be off then,” Phil put Piplup down so that he could shake the professor’s hand, “It was very nice to meet you Professor Rowan.”

“Likewise Philip. I wish you all the best in Kalos.” Rowan’s handshake was firm and a little bit intimidating, but Phil tried to ignore it and returned the shake best he could. “Though, before you go, I was wondering if you could do me a quick favor.”

“Yeah, of course. What is it you need?” Ronan released Phil’s hand from his death grip and walked over to his desk. When he returned, he was carrying a sealed envelope.

“Could you deliver this to Professor Sycamore when you arrive in Lumios city? His lab is there, so it won’t be out of your way. And I’ll let him know you’re coming.” Ronan handed Phil the letter, which he tucked into his jacket pocket.

“No problem. It’ll be nice to meet him anyways so this is no trouble. Thank you again for, y’know, the pokemon and stuff.” And on that awkward note, Phil walked back into the main room of the lab, leaving Rowan to get back to whatever it was that pokemon professors did.

Phil was shown out of the building by a different, yet equally sleep deprived, scientist. Making his way back home, Phil looked down at Piplup, waddling along happily beside him, and couldn’t help but smile a little bit.

“Let’s hope this isn’t a disaster.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny's turn to get a pokemon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks it's me, that asshole again! I hope that you enjoy this? I actually think I write Dan better than Phil but idk, let me know what ya think.

Dan hated the mornings more than anything else in the world. And that included himself, which was saying something. That being said, this was one thing he refused to be late for. He had waited 18 years for the chance to get out of this godforsaken town and he wasn’t about to throw away that chance because he slept in and the professor lost patience. 

Slipping into a pair of black skinny jeans, Dan glanced at his reflection in the mirror leaning against his wall. No fringe gaps, no stains on his favourite eclipse t-shirt, and he had taken a shower last night. He was ready.

“I’m going into town!” Dan yelled back into the house, slipping on his shoes and throwing on a hoodie. There was no response but Dan didn’t yell it again. His parents knew where he was going anyways.

Walking out into the spacious yard, Dan let out a sharp whistle. Before long, pokemon started creeping out of the bushes and trees. “Hey guys,” Dan smiled, kneeling down next to an old flareon that had been nuzzling at his foot. “Hey girl, how’ve you been?” The flareon made a noise of contentment and Dan smiled, scratching behind her ears. “That’s good. I’m glad.

Before long, Dan was surrounded by almost twenty eeveelutions. His family ran a breeding and wellness center for eevee and their evolutions, and Dan had been helping out since he was old enough to walk. If there was one thing he was going to miss from this place, it was the eevees. Although…

“Where’s Loki?” he asked a nearby umbreon. The umbreon didn’t reply and Dan frowned, confused. Until that is, he was nearly knocked over by a ball of fluff that descended upon him from a nearby oak.

“Oof! Hey there Loki.” Dan managed to grab the eevee clinging to his hoodie by the scruff of their neck. Loki squeaked indignantly and tried to nip playfully at Dan’s fingers. Dan dumped Loki unceremoniously on the grass in front of him. “You know, if you keep attacking me like that, I might just leave you here,” Dan threatened jokingly. He would never actually leave Loki here. He had raised Loki from an egg, and the thought of leaving his best friend behind was preposterous.

Loki, despite knowing this, whined and drooped his ears in a way that they knew Dan found adorable. Dan sighed, ruffling the fur on top of Loki’s head. “Oh don’t you start with that innocent act. We both know you’re a little demon.” Then again, Dan was sure he would be glad for Loki’s violent tendencies when he started challenging gym leaders.

“We should be going.” Dan grunted, pushing himself back into a standing position. Loki perked up immediately- the little faker – and clawed his way onto Dan’s shoulder like he was some kind of glorified tree. “Oh, so now you want to be friendly. Let’s get going then. Don’t want to leave the professor waiting.”  
As Dan made his way down the long path to Aquacorde town, he zipped up his hoodie against the chilly morning air. He never did like getting up this early. But it was a small price to pay for a proper starter pokemon.

Dan’s family was a liaison of the Kalos science association. They helped with research on eevee and it’s evolutions. Though their part in that research came mainly in the form of providing large quantities of eevee to study. It did come with perks though. Turns out one such perk is professor Sycamore making a slight detour through Aquacorde town with three starter pokemon for Dan to choose from.

He needn’t have bothered bringing all three considering Dan had made his choice four years ago. But if the man wanted to carry around two extra pokeballs, Dan wasn’t about to tell him how to live his life.

Finally, Dan started to see the beige sandstone that made up literally all of Aquacorde town. Dan unconsciously picked up the pace, his heart beating faster in his excitement. He had gotten his trainer card a few days ago, and once he got his registered starter,he would be able to leave. He could finally go somewhere, anywhere else.

Making his way down the sandstone streets, Dan prayed he wouldn’t see any of his old classmates. It was early enough in the morning that there were only a few people wandering around, but you never knew who could be lurking about. You’re almost gone Dan. This time tomorrow you’ll be gone and you won’t have to see anyone from this town ever again. He repeated his little mantra to himself as he made his way to the café where he had agreed to meet Sycamore.

He spotted the professor immediately upon walking into the town’s main square. He was seated at one of the café tables, sipping some hot beverage that Dan could really go for right about now. Then again, he was probably jittery enough already without caffeine in his system.

“Professor Sycamore?” Dan asked,startling the professor out of his thoughts.

“Ah, yes! My apologies. You must be Daniel?” Sycamore stood hurriedly, shaking Dan’s hand rather aggressively, in his humble opinion.

“Just Dan is fine. Thank you for meeting me here.” Dan tried to keep professional, despite feeling severely underdressed. Sycamore was wearing a full on lab coat, and Dan couldn’t help but remember that the professor came from Lumiose city, and Dan was born and raised on a glorified farm. Sycamore didn’t really seem to mind Dan’s appearance, shaking his head dismissively.

“Oh, it’s no trouble, truly! It’s quite exciting to be the one to see a new trainer off on their journey. And your parents have told me nothing but good things about you.” Sycamore reassured. Although Dan was not entirely reassured, because if his parents had told Sycamore about him, then that meant that he had something to live up to. And historically, Dan was not good at living up to expectations.

“Come here my boy, have a seat. Do you want anything to drink? The cappuccinos here are delicious!” Dan sat down awkwardly across from Sycamore, who seemed way too enthusiastic for 7am.

“Um no that’s okay. I don’t really have any money on me so I can’t-“

“Oh don’t worry about it Daniel! I can buy your cappuccino. You must be very sleepy getting up so early in the morning.” The professor offered, before Dan could even finish his sentence.

“Just Dan is fine. And you really don’t have to, I’m not that sleepy, and I don’t want to be an inconvenience.” Despite Dan’s protests, Sycamore flagged down a nearby waiter and ordered two cappuccinos, seeing as he had finished his and apparently had some kind of crippling addiction.

“Now Daniel,” Sycamore started after their waiter went to fetch their coffee, “I’m not just here to drink cappuccinos by the river. I’m here because you just turned 18.” Dan nodded, leaning forward just a bit in anticipation. He had been looking forwards to this since his birthday a few weeks ago. It was hard to believe it was actually happening right now.

“And as we all know, when you turn 18, you are given the choice to receive your trainers license and start your pokemon journey. But of course, to do that you need an official starter, which is why I’m here today. To give you said starter.”

Sycamore reached down under his chair to pull out a very worn looking briefcase. He placed it on the table just as the server arrived with their cappuccinos, which they both thanked her for, before turning their attention back onto the matter at hand.

Snapping open the latches on the briefcase, Sycamore continued his explanation. “Now I’m sure you already know what three starters we offer here in the Kalos region, but I am legally obligated to tell you, so I’ll keep it brief.” Sycamore opened the briefcase and removed three shrunken pokeballs, which he placed on the table between them.

“Try the cappuccino. You’ll love it.” Sycamore said, taking a sip of his own and letting out a sigh of contentment. Dan took a sip of his impatiently, almost burning his tongue. It was admittedly very good. But Dan wasn’t here to drink coffee, and he was starting to get a little bit impatient.

“So, as you can see, there are three starters. The fire starter fennekin, the grass starter chespin, and the water starter froakie.” Sycamore listed off the starters as he released them each from their pokeballs. Dan had to move his cappuccino to avoid it being spilt in his lap by fennekin.

“Do you already know which one you want Daniel?”

“Dan’s fine.” Dan replied absentmindedly, “And yes, I do actually know which one I want.”

When Dan had started actually thinking seriously about becoming a pokemon trainer, the very first thing he had done was look at his starter choices. At first he had wanted fennekin. It was cute, and Dan already really loved fire types. But, comparing it to the other two, fennekin and its evolutions fell short.

Dan had considered chespin as well, and while he thought that it would be a decent choice, Dan ultimately decided that chespin just wasn’t very suited to the battling style Dan was starting to develop with Loki and the other eevee.

Froakie however, fit the bill perfectly. Not only did he seem like the most logical choice for Dan, he was also a frog. And you could never go wrong with a frog, is something that Dan has never said before in his life but is probably very true.

Dan reached out his hand to the little blue starter, smiling down at him. “Whadda ya think Froakie. Would you like to come with me?” Froakie croaked in excitement and jumped onto his arm, climbing up to sit on Dan’s only vacant shoulder. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Do you have any plans for when you’re going to head out?” Sycamore asked, returning the other two pokemon to their respective balls, rifling again through his suitcase.

“I think I’m going to spend the rest of today packing and getting to know froakie a little bit better. Then tomorrow I’ll start making my way through santalune forest.” Dan had considered leaving immediately, and he had to admit it was tempting to just up and go. He had been waiting for this day for so long, and the thought that he had to wait any longer to get out of this stupid town was an unhappy one.

But he did have things he wanted to say goodbye to. Also, he still had a few things to pack before he left. He had waited this long, he could wait one more day.

“That sounds like a good plan Daniel. Now, here’s your pokedex and froakie’s pokeball. Although, he seems pretty comfy where he is. And here are five other pokeballs for you to use along your way.” Sycamore slid the objects across the table, and Dan picked up the red pokedex curiously. He’d seen them before, but he’d never had one of his own.

Dan and Sycamore talked for a while longer as they finished their cappuccinos. Sycamore seemed very interested in Dan’s plans, and Dan had to scramble to come up with anything meaningful. His plans consisted of “Leave home, go train pokémon, beat the gyms, elite four?” But that was starting to feel exceptionally juvenile.

He had no guarantee that he could defeat the gyms. He especially had no guarantee he could challenge the elite four. He was just some kid with no friends, no money, and no experience. He also had no backup plan for if this whole pokemon trainer thing ended up being too much for him. And god, he had just accepted a pokemon. A pokemon who could have had the chance to go on a journey with a trainer who knew what they were doing. A trainer who wouldn’t have days where they couldn’t do more than roll over in bed. What had he just gotten them into?

Dan felt a familiar warmth press against his left cheek, grounding him. Loki rubbed their face affectionately against Dan’s , and he felt a small smile slip onto his face. Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing. But, he had Loki. And this new froakie, that he was going to have to figure out a name for very soon. They could get through this. He would figure something out.

“You have a good day Daniel.” Professor sycamore stood after paying their bill, sticking out his hand for Dan to shake.

“Just Dan is fine. And thank you for going out of your way to be here. And for the coffee. You’re very generous.” 

“It’s no trouble. No trouble at all. I look forward to seeing how you progress as a trainer from here on out Daniel. You should come by my lab when you go through Lumios city, and we can catch up,” Sycamore gave Dan’s hand a good final shake before letting go to collect his briefcase.

“I would like that professor. I’ll see you then.”

With one final wave outside the café, the two went their separate ways. The sun had risen significantly while Dan had been talking to Professor Sycamore, and the streets were getting steadily more crowded. On a sunny Saturday morning like this, tons of people were going for morning walks, and Dan was weary of running into anyone he knew, especially from school.

Dan took a slightly roundabout route through a few shady alleyways, before he finally reached the edge of town. Froakie had abandoned his perch on Dan’s shoulder en lieu of hopping jauntily alongside him. Loki however, was used to Dan’s walking patterns after so many years and stayed put, apparently too lazy to walk.

As they made their way back up the winding dirt road, Dan turned to look down at his starter pokemon, who was looking around frantically, trying to take in all that he could of the scenery.

“I think we need to give you a name, don’t we?” Dan pondered, and froakie croaked in agreement. “Alright, how about Fenrir. No no, that’s weird, uh… Collin? No that’s also weird…”

Dan spent the rest of the walk listing off dozens of names. Often times, he would veto them himself before they were even fully out of his mouth. And a few of the ones he did like didn’t seem to work quite as well for froakie himself. By the time the house started coming into sight, Dan was on the verge of loosing hope.

“Ugh, god I don’t know. How about Dante?” It was a little strange, Dan had to admit. It was more a human name than a pokemon name, although that didn’t much matter to him. And if froakies excited croak was anything to go by, he also liked the name.

“So we’re gonna go with Dante?” Froakie croaked in agreement and Dan grinned a little bit. “Finally, we’ve got you a name. Welcome aboard Dante. Let’s hope I don’t mess this whole thing up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways there was that. I hope you enjoyed it? If you for some reason want more of me my tumblr is @dans-homosensual-agenda but for the holiday season I've changed it to @dans-homosensual-holidays. Shout out to my lovely beta who made sure this was readable. And shout out to you for getting though that. Go to sleep if it's past midnight, if not then drink some water. Bye:)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil makes his way to Kalos and meets professor Sycamore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, it's me. Back with this train wreck. I hope you enjoy it.

Phil’s back was hurting in all sorts of ways. He’d never flown in an airplane before, and while it had been an exciting prospect, the reality was much more cramped and uncomfortable, and frankly, a little nerve wracking.

But now it was over. Phil was in Kalos for the first time ever, which was even more daunting than the plane ride itself. He was really on his own, in a strange region for the first time in his life with nothing but his overweight backpack and his piplup, Silo.

They had landed in in an airfield near Lumios city, which was Phil’s first stop. Every guidebook and article Phil had read about Kalos talked about how Lumios City was a prime tourist location. And while Phil wasn’t necessarily a tourist, it seemed like the best place to try to get his bearings. Plus, it would have plenty of hotels for him to stay in until he decided where to go first.

He wanted to challenge the region’s gyms, as was par for the course on a pokemon journey. But that wasn’t really his primary concern. The gyms were more of a guide for where to go next. They were destination to have in mind while he enjoyed the journey. Phil didn’t want to be the best, or even great. He just wanted to find… something. Maybe himself, cheesy as that may be, or maybe he wanted to find friends. Who knows? He certainly didn't.

Hopping on the shuttle bus that would take him into the city, Phil found himself staring at the scenery rushing past the windows. Rolling hills and beautiful countryside, which was dotted with trees and vineyards. It was strikingly different from what he had seen of Sinnoh. Watching the green grass and vines fly past, Phil was hit with a strange mixture of homesickness and excitement.

By the time the bus had arrived at the station on the edge of Lumios city, it was about midday. And Phil was absolutely exhausted. Between jetlag and the fact that he hadn’t been able to get any sleep on the plane, Phil was struggling just to keep walking in a straight line.

He probably looked half drunk or hung-over by the time he reached the taxi queue. But he really couldn’t care less as he swung himself into the back of a taxi and asked the driver to take him to the nearest reasonably cheap hotel.

One of the perks of becoming a pokemon trainer was the fact that your trainer license could be used as a credit card. It was only for the bare essentials such as food, potions, and shelter. All within a reasonable price range, of course.

Sadly, however, it did not cover taxi rides, so Phil paid the taxi driver with some of his own miniscule stash of money before checking in at the clean, although not particularly ornate, Pine Hotel. Collapsing onto the double bed in his room, Phil was finally able to let Silo out of his pokéball

Hey there, bud. I know you probably wanna go see the sights, but I am absolutely exhausted, so I’m afraid it’s gonna have to wait until tomorrow, okay?” Silo cheeped in understanding and waddled off to lay on the little sofa by the window, which was facing a brick wall. Not exactly a phenomenal view, but Phil hardly noticed as he sluggishly tossed off his jeans and t-shirt before clambering under the sheets. By he time his head hit the pillow he was already out like a light.

When Phil finally woke up, it was already morning, and he could hear his stomach growling at him for food. Or maybe that growling was just Silo, who seemed equally hungry and far less patient than Phil. Groaning at the effort, Phil hoisted himself out of the incredibly comfy bed, stretching his arms above his head.

“I don’t think I’ve slept that well in a long time.” He let out another yawn before begrudgingly swinging his feet onto the floor. He got dressed as quickly as he could, tossing on whatever clothes were at the top of his bag and ran his fingers hurriedly through his hair.

“Alright Silo, you wanna get some breakfast?” Phil asked. Silo chirped and hopped off the bed where he had been waiting for Phil to get ready. Before they walked out the door, Phil ran back to rifle through his backpack, pulling out Rowan’s letter. He might as well use his day of sightseeing to deliver it, and he didn’t want to keep Sycamore waiting for too long.

Phil and Silo walked side by side down to the lobby, where Phil asked the nice receptionist for recommendations on where to eat. He was directed to a café a little farther towards the center of the city. The receptionist said that it was cheap, decent coffee, good scones, and a nice atmosphere. Though frankly, Phil was sold at the mention of coffee.

The streets of Lumios city were brightly lit and crowded. Even on the outskirts of the city, the streets were lined with everything from clothing shops to restaurants. It was all a little overwhelming, and Phil struggled to take all of it in.

He found the café easily enough and ordered himself a latte and a blueberry scone, and a poffin for Silo, before taking a seat next to one of the large windows overlooking the street. Phil pulled the map he had gotten at the reception desk out of his bag and spread it out on the table.

“Alright, I think that our first order of business should be to deliver Ronan’s letter to Sycamore. We can sightsee a little on the way, then after we give him the letter we can explore a little more. Do you think that sounds good?” he said. Silo, who had hopped on to the table to look at the map, cheeped in agreement.

“Awesome. We’ll finish up breakfast and then we’ll make our way to the lab.” As if on cue, the waiter arrived at the table, carrying their food. Phil cleared the map off the table and thanked the waiter before turning his attention to the delicious looking scone in front of him.

After a satisfying breakfast, Phil and Silo started to make their way to professor Sycamore’s lab. They decided to take the most direct route, as it would take them past Lumios tower, which the receptionist had said was a must-see for anyone visiting the city.

They took their time, admiring the sights and attractions before finally arriving at the pokémon lab on the far side of the city. 

“This is it, then. Shall we go in?” Phil took a deep breath before walking through the automated doors into the front room of the lab. The pokélab in Lumios City was decidedly more polished than the one back home. No cluttered tables or suspicious papers lying about on the floor. The scientists that were milling about seemed much more rested than the one who had shown Phil around back in Rowan’s lab. Phil felt much more at ease as he approached one of the less busy looking scientists.

“Um, hi there, sorry for interrupting. I was looking for Professor Sycamore? I’m a friend of Professor Rowan’s back in Sinnoh.” Phil felt a little weird calling himself Rowan’s friend; after all, they had only met each other once. But he was a little worried about being turned away, so he figured better safe than sorry.

“Oh hey! Yeah, no problem, he’ll be on the third floor. There’s an elevator just over there, or you can take the stairs if you’re feelin’ fancy. Just don’t knock over anything important, 'kay?” The scientist barely even glanced up from his computer as he answered, and Phil couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. Eye contact always stressed him out.

As Phil waited for the elevator, he was half expecting someone to call him out for trespassing. Although there was nothing to indicate that visitors weren’t allowed, it still felt taboo to just waltz into a pokémon lab like this.

But no one seemed to mind as he stepped into the polished metal elevator and pressed the button to bring him to the third floor. The pleasant elevator music didn’t do anything to soothe his fraying nerves as he waited impatiently for the elevator to reach the floor.

Floor three was equally as organized as the first, though with far less scientists working at the numerous research desks dotted around the room. The few scientists that were milling about seemed focused and stern. Phil figured they probably wouldn’t want some random guy interrupting their workflow, or whatever they called it.

Wanting to seem as inconspicuous as possible, Phil returned Silo to his pokéball before stepping farther into the room. No one seemed to notice him as he made his way nervously towards the door at the far side of the room, which he assumed must lead to Professor Sycamore’s office.

Phil knocked three times, trying to be firm but probably failing. For a moment he was worried that the professor hadn’t heard him, and he raised his fist to knock again, only for the door to be wrenched open by the very man he was trying to meet.

“Professor Sycamore?” Phil asked, staring at man in front of him. Phil didn’t like to make assumptions about people, especially not before he had met them. But Professor Sycamore didn't look at all like he expected. He had just assumed that all pokémon professors looked like Ronan; stern and bearded and a little on the older side. But Sycamore was surprisingly young, maybe in his early thirties if Phil had to guess. His hair was slightly wild, and peach fuzz was as close as he got to a beard.

“That’s me!” Professor Sycamore beamed at Phil before moving back into his office, beckoning Phil to follow him. “Come on in young man! I hear you have something for me?” Professor Sycamore’s office was decidedly less organized than the rest of the lab. The two metal tables to either side were covered in papers that seemed half forgotten, some even seemed to be used as place mats for test tubes and petri dishes. 

The desk that sat at the far end of the room had piles of files stacked twenty high. A thick black briefcase rested against the wall next to a swivel chair, which had clearly been pushed away from its intended spot. Sycamore didn’t seem bothered by the clutter, as he plopped himself into the forgotten swivel chair and rolled himself behind the main desk. As Phil approached, Sycamore did his best to push aside some of the file stacks, resulting with a small window where Phil could see Sycamore’s face, and more than a few files scattered on the floor.

“Um, I guess Professor Rowan told you about me,” Phil started, glancing at Sycamore for confirmation before reaching into his pocket and pulling out Rowan’s letter. “He asked for me to deliver this to you. I hope I didn’t take too long,” Phil handed Sycamore the letter, careful not to knock over any more file piles.

Phil stood, awkwardly waiting for Sycamore to dismiss him as the professor inspected the sealed letter with far more interest than Phil thought was probably warranted. “I didn’t read it, if that’s something you’re worried about.” Phil wasn’t sure why Sycamore would be worried about such a thing, but you never knew. Maybe the letter contained some super sensitive pokémon research. Or it was a love letter or something. That would be a plot twist.

Sycamore let out a little chuckle, cracking open the letter’s seal. “I wasn’t worried about that, Philip, but I’m very glad you’ve assured me of your innocence.” Phil felt his cheeks redden. Of course Sycamore hadn’t been concerned about that. What had Phil been thinking?

There were a few moments of silence where Sycamore read the letter and Phil toed at the ground waiting for the ground to swallow him up and end his suffering. Phil really didn’t understand why he had to be here while the letter was being read. But Sycamore hadn’t dismissed him, and he figured it might be rude of him to just up and leave.

Luckily, Sycamore was a fast reader, and it wasn’t long before he put the letter down and turned his attention back to the trainer in front of him. “So Philip. I understand you’ve only just arrived in the Kalos region?” Phil nodded and Sycamore smiled so wide that Phil was afraid his teeth might fall out. “You know I actually just gave this kid his starter pokémon a couple days ago. You remind me of him a bit. Maybe it’s the hair.”

Oh, uh, thank you?” Phil wasn’t really sure how to respond to the strange compliment. Was it a compliment? Phil couldn’t tell. He hoped it was.

“Oh you’re very welcome. He was a good kid. Maybe you’ll meet him in Santalune City. His name’s Daniel, you should keep an eye out. I think the two of you would get along.”

“Daniel, huh?” Phil wouldn’t be opposed to meeting a fellow trainer. It was always good to meet people, and according to Sycamore, this kid seemed all right. “Yeah, maybe I’ll run into him.” Phil didn’t want to make any promises; after all, he wasn’t exactly the best at meeting people.

“Great. If you do, tell him he should drop by while he’s in Lumios. You should too, for that matter, the next time you’re in town.”

“Uh, yeah, sure thing.” Phil agreed, more than a little flustered by the apparent human hurricane that was Professor Sycamore.

“Well, then. I should probably get back to work. And you should get back to sightseeing. It was excellent to meet you, Philip!” Sycamore flashed Phil a quick grin and a little wave before turning his attention to the nearest stack of files.

Phil stammered out a quick goodbye, that Sycamore either didn’t register or chose to ignore, before quickly making his way back to the elevator.

Professor Sycamore was certainly a character. Phil honestly didn’t get how he and Ronan could get along, what with Ronan’s no-nonsense personality and Sycamore’s general air of chaos. But to each their own, he supposed. Besides, what did he know? His closest friend was his big brother; he was hardly an expert in the nuances of friendship.

But who knows, maybe he and this Daniel person would hit it off... Or become bitter rivals. Phil had never had a bitter rival before, but he didn’t think he would be very good at it. More likely, he and Daniel would either meet in passing or not at all. Which was fine by Phil, honestly. He was all right with having it just be him, Silo, and whatever other pokémon he caught. And it was weird to speculate on a friendship (or bitter rivalry) with a person he didn’t know.

For now, all Phil had to think about was what he was going to spend the rest of his day doing. He was only going to be in Lumios for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, it was off towards Santalune City, and his first gym battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I named Phil's piplup after a gay penguin and I regret nothing. Comments keep me alive in these dark times, so if you want to leave one I would be very thankful. Even if it's just one cryptic letter. Have a wonderful day or night and stay hydrated kids!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed whatever that was. If you want more of me for whatever reason my tumblr is @dans-homosensual-agenda. Have a wonderful day and if you're reading this after midnight then you are very valid but you should also go to sleep. Stay hydrated!


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